Ryan Reynolds, Rob McElhenney, Wrexham have lost the charm that enchanted us
The underdog fairytale of Reynolds and McElhenney buying Wrexham with the infectious root-ability of the town and club is at an awkward crossroads for its empire building Hollywood owners.
When do you have a big enough empire?
Do I say that with a lot of envy as an unemployed audience growth executive at a similar age? Absolutely.
Rob McElhenney first and foremost needs to be applauded for his genius concept in reverse-engineering “Sunderland ‘Til I Die” with the feel-good tone of “Ted Lasso” to create “Welcome to Wrexham,” and then realizing he needed more star power, bringing in partner Ryan Reynolds during the pandemic to create the monumentally successful documentary FX series and accompanying cross-platform “franchise.”
It’s a background story perfect for a Hollywood fairytale. From Amos Barshad’s New York Times article:
“The reason for the change is, of course, the FX docuseries “Welcome to Wrexham.” In 2021, the actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney bought the club and set about changing its fortunes, on camera. During the pandemic, the British actor Humphrey Ker had given McElhenney a viewing recommendation: “Sunderland ’Til I Die,” a docuseries about the decline of another soccer club in a postindustrial town. McElhenney loved it and, as Ker told The Athletic, formulated a plan to tell the same story in reverse: buy a struggling football team and turn it into a competitor. He wanted to reverse-engineer a feel-good sports documentary. He would also end up satisfying America’s love of underdog stories set in quaintly hard-up corners of Britain (like “The Full Monty,” recently revived as an FX series) and creating an odd real-life analog for the hugely popular “Ted Lasso.””
Form there, “Welcome to Wrexham” became an international phenomenon, and McElhenney and Reynolds brilliantly and shrewdly executed a marketing masterclass, especially amplifying their personal social brands by playing up the down-on-their-luck little town with the heart and feel of any great sports underdog story.
I’ve been a huge fan since it debuted in 2022 (with Season 3 dropping this week on FX and Hulu), but now it feels like the genuineness from its owners is a little more disingenuous.
McElhenney claims that he and Reynolds are very much in the red for their investment in Wrexham, and that certainly may be technically true for expenditures like player salaries, stadium renovations, etc. But the valuation of the club is skyrocketing as they rise the ranks again with the club’s League One promotion (not to mention the brand equity that has increased exponentially). Plus, are they disclosing lucrative revenue in that red number with merchandising, major sponsorship and advertisings deals, high profile preseason tours vs. Premier League juggernauts, and international broadcasting rights with companies like ESPN?
So if McElhenney and Reynolds are sustaining major personal losses, how are they investing in McLaren’s F1 team through Reynolds’ Maximum Efforts Investments as part of a group for 24% ownership at a price tag of $218 million? Then of course this past week it was leaked the duo bought a stake in the storied Mexican Liga MX team Club Necaxa through their R.R. McReynolds Company, which owns Wrexham A.F.C. Eva Longoria, already an investor, reportedly brought them into the group.
Ryan Reynolds is not only a Hollywood star, but he’s an extremely savvy business man, with a portfolio of companies that he owns or has sold reportedly worth $14 billion combined, including his stake from the Aviation Gin sale for a reported $122 million and $300 million from the $1.35 billion sale of Mint Mobile to T-Mobile.
McElhenney of course, is a mini-me Reynolds on the empire-building front, but certainly has a nice base as the creator of the never-having-to-work-again sitcom “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.” Again, huge credit to the “Sunny” star for realizing he needed Reynolds’ mega-influencer reach to make “Wrexham” a hit, and in return the “Deadpool” hitmaker has probably taught McElhenney how to make boatloads of additional money beyond Hollywood.
In that same Barshad NYTimes article, I do think there’s an irresponsible comparison to when the highly controversial Saudi Public Investment Fund took a controlling interest in Newcastle United.
“Reynolds and McElhenney do not represent an autocratic petrostate and are implicated in no human rights violations, but the two takeovers do have one thing in common: Both the actors and the Saudi sovereign-wealth fund are operating in spaces where their wealth distorts everything around them.”
“Wrexham” is transparent that many of their players are ringers on the show, and the overwhelming talent is the biggest reason they’ve been promoted in back-to-back seasons, and now sit only two levels below the Premier League.
And all of the authentic characters from the team and town uncovered and followed with the drama of what happens on the field are what make “Wrexham” a huge hit. My biggest issue is the show seems to be gravitating more towards Reynolds and McElhenney, and I told my wife during Season 2 that the only scenes I didn’t like is when the star owners showed up. It always felt forced.
To their credit, they made a hit show and a pop-culture phenomenon that doesn’t need them anymore. But the owners have gone from “Ted Lasso” to “Succession.” So if they want to be Logan Roy, they should take a backseat, not double down on their presence on the show. It seems like they’re playing a role now instead of being authentic.
And anyone who knows me or whoever has worked for me, you lose me when it’s not authentic or genuine. I don’t expect them to be Ted Lasso and go back to coaching their kid’s intramural soccer team, but it’s not as charming when you’re building an international sports portfolio with venture capitalists.
Last-minute add: So as not to be a complete Dougie Downer, there are so many great stories of small clubs in the English football world that have had “Rocky”-esque runs all the way to the Premier League, most recently over the weekend with Ed Sheeran’s hometown club Ipswich Town promoted in back-to-back seasons to the highest echelon.
Surprising sports documentary that is charming
Patrick Mahomes' dad bod went viral after a shirtless photo from the locker room was posted online during last season’s NFL playoffs. I'm wondering if he's onto something after watching Netflix's "Six Nations: Full Contact."
We all saw the viral photo of Patrick Mahomes shirtless and his hilarious reaction, with even more jokes during Super Bowl week.
But after watching the extremely entertaining “Six Nations: Full Contact” on Netflix (from the same producers as “Drive to Survive”) about the behind-the-scenes emotional and physical toll on the players competing in rugby’s prestigious 2023 Guinness Six Nations tournament, I couldn’t help but wonder, could dad bods prevent the avalanche of serious injuries in professional sports?
These dudes are tough, and very much look like professional athletes. But most of them also look like professional athletes that aren’t in the gym 24/7 with their personal trainers. And given how they get the living crap beat out of them with no pads, it’s a miracle they survive this tournament. (They also seem to enjoy beers in the locker room after every brutal game.)
Why Old Dad Dumb Takes approves?
Like the first season of “Drive to Survive” where most of us had no idea what made F1 such a compelling sport, especially with the colorful personalities, knowing nothing about international rugby made it such a fun viewing experience. Plus, like that first season of “Drive,” I had no idea what the outcome was, so I had a vested interest in the players and coaches featured.
Final Old Dad Dumb Takes take
I did not have many nice things to say about the future of the NBA in my most watchable sport rankings for dads (scroll towards the end to read). I feel even more beholden on my prediction as the first round of the NBA playoffs wrapped up. (And as predicted, the Knicks showed more heart and closed out the 76ers.)
There’s only one player that could possibly save the league as the death of mass sports viewing consumption continues once the lucrative new rights deal is signed. That man is Anthony Edwards, who took it to the defending champions Denver Nuggets (and not must-watch best player in the NBA Nikola Jokic) on the road with 43 points! More to come next week.